dispostitional explanations

Question 1

introduction to the authoritarian personality

Answer 1

• developed by adorno
• wanted to undertsand anti- semitism
• high levels of obedience could suggets a psychological disorder which they trace back to individual personality traits

Question 2

adornos study

Answer 2

1950
- aimed to investigate the causes of the obedient personality
- involved 2000 middle-class white Americans
- The researchers focused on the unconscious attitudes the individuals held towards various racial groups
- they created the f scale to asses the persoanility traits

Question 3

Authoritarian Characteristics

Answer 3

• tendency to obey authority
• Inflexible in their outlook
• Everything is either right or wrong

Question 4

orgins of the authoritarian personality

Answer 4

shaped during childhood, primarily through harsh parenting practices

Question 5

strengths of the authoritarian personality

Answer 5

• Milgram’s interviews with obedient participants revealed that they scored highly on the F-scale, suggesting a potential link between obedience and authoritarian personality traits.

Question 6

limitations of the authoritarian personality

Answer 6

• It fails to explain the widespread obedient behavior in pre-War Germany, where people had racist actions despite differing personalities.
• Methodological flaws in the F-scale have been highlighted, with Greenstein (1969) describing it as a ‘comedy of methodological errors.’ respondents may have scored high simply by agreeing with statements.